By Philip Jurkovsky
Just when we thought the season was beginning to find normality, the competition was flung back into chaos.
The Round 11 fixture has been given a full makeover as the Melbourne Vixens, Collingwood Magpies, NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball departed Melbourne for Adelaide yesterday to ensure that the Suncorp Super Netball season can be completed.
A massive thank you must be given to all players, coaches, staff, officials and umpires for their willingness to relocate to deliver a full, 60 game season.
A big thank you as well to the best fans in the world for their patience and understanding during these announcements.
Despite the madness, we still have four exciting games to be played, including another triple header on Saturday.
Here is all you need to know.
Melbourne Vixens vs Collingwood Magpies - Saturday, 1pm AEST, Netball SA Stadium, Adelaide
The Melbourne Derby will kick off the updated Round 11 fixture, with the game set to be played at Netball SA Stadium in Adelaide.
A Melbourne Derby outside of Melbourne shouldn’t feel too uncanny, when these two teams played each other back in round 7, the game was held at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney due to coronavirus restrictions. That match saw the Magpies break a three game losing streak to the Vixens, running away with an emphatic 16-point victory.
Coming into the 2021 season, the Vixens have enjoyed playing the Magpies. With an average winning margin of 7-points, the Vixens have won seven of their nine matchups since the Super Netball league was formed.
However, it has been a disappointing season for the Vixens so the Magpies will be looking to get back on the winners list after a tough month of results. In fact, the Magpies haven’t won a game since they defeated the Vixens over a month ago.
The Magpies will be hoping Kelsey Browne can return this weekend after missing Round 10 due to concussion protocols. Browne was leading the competition in total Goal Assists and Centre Pass Receives prior to round 10, so her absence was certainly felt during their 9-point loss to the GIANTS.
It might be last vs third last, but one thing we can look forward to is a high scoring game. Both teams have struggled to defend the goal circle this season, with the Magpies and Vixens 8th and 6th, respectively, in average points against.
The Magpies scored their highest points total last time these teams went head to head, as Shimona Nelson dominated the Vixens’ defenders with 55-goals on 88% shooting accuracy. Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Emily Mannix will have a big task ahead of them to stop Nelson’s impact on the game.
The Vixens will be hoping to put last week’s first half behind them, scoring the lowest first half points for the season with 15. There were some positives to be taken out of that game however, as the Vixens managed to outscore the Swifts by eight in the last quarter. This was mainly due to the sharp-shooting of Mwai Kumwenda who shot six consecutive Super Shot’s to end the game.
It will be interesting to see if the Vixens elect to take more Super Shot’s this week. They only attempted seven Super Shot’s in their loss to the Magpies in Round 7, compared to the 15 they took last weekend.
The Magpies are effectively two games out of the top four due to their low percentage, but as this season has shown, anything is possible. A big win is needed to keep the Magpies’ miracle shot of playing finals alive.
NSW Swifts vs GIANTS Netball - Saturday, 3pm AEST, Netball SA Stadium, Adelaide
The GIANTS will be disappointed that they won’t get to take on the Lightning as previously scheduled given the GIANTS are only one game behind the Lightning on the ladder, with a greater percentage to the tune of 6.47%. So a victory would have seen the GIANTS jump the Lightning into second position.
Now, with the updated fixture, the GIANTS will take on the most in-form team and current ladder leaders. However, we could potentially see a change of the guard in top spot, as a win here could see the GIANTS jump into first position who trail the Swifts by only a game and 0.76% on the ladder.
It is another Derby match-up, which makes sense as both teams have been in the same restriction/quarantine protocols due to the ongoing NSW COVID outbreak. The Swifts and the GIANTS have had the rough end of the stick in 2021, being required to isolate in multiple states across the season.
This game could be decided on which team can embrace the challenge and cope with the psychological effects of another relocation. The Swifts seem to have adapted to these arduous circumstances slightly better than the GIANTS, as recent performances have shown.
I wrote about the GIANTS’ visible drop in energy and vibrancy after their 11-point loss to the Firebirds, however we saw a new look GIANTS last weekend who were full of enthusiasm. It might just come down to which GIANTS’ outfit will show up on Saturday.
The reason the Swifts are on top of the ladder can be put down to their ability to impact the scoreboard. The Swifts currently have the highest shooting accuracy of the season (91%) and like to make teams pay from their turnovers. Leading the league in Goals from Unforced Turnovers (102), the Swifts have made a habit in turning sloppy opposition possessions into scoreboard pressure.
Sarah Klau has been the catalyst for the Swifts’ defensive dominance, leading the competition in Deflections resulting in a Gain (14), as well as being sixth in Interceptions (20), fourth in Gains (48) and fourth in Deflections (55).
When these two teams faced each other back in Round 6, Klau matched up against Sophie Dwyer at the GK position. However, in recent weeks, Klau has taken the GD bib which has allowed her to play off her opponent and record higher deflections/interceptions. So it will be interesting to see where Klau will line up on Saturday and how that will affect their defensive structure.
The GIANTS easily have the lowest shooting accuracy in the competition, averaging only 77.4% for the season. This is mainly due to their fondness of the Super Shot. The GIANTS have attempted 140 Super Shots in 2021, 36 more than the Firebirds in second.
The GIANTS have the second highest Goals from Gains total this season (90) and that is typically representative of their results. When the GIANTS can get their gains tally up, they typically win. In their round 10 win over the Magpies, every player who stepped onto the court recorded at least one gain.
Sam Wallace will be hoping to produce a performance similar to her Round 6 output, where the star GS shot an incredible 58 goals from 58 attempts. Fellow shooter Helen Housby only took five shots for the entire game. The GIANTS will need to disrupt Wallace's impact inside the goal circle for any chance to win this match.
This is due to be another close game with so much on the line, you won’t want to miss this one.
West Coast Fever vs Adelaide Thunderbirds - Saturday, 8pm AEST, RAC Arena, Perth
The Fever were set to play the Firebirds, however they will welcome the updated fixture as they now face the second last Thunderbirds in the final game of Saturday’s triple header. This match will see the Fever host the Thunderbirds at RAC Arena in Perth, a great opportunity for the Fever to move a game ahead of the Firebirds with a hefty percentage at their disposal.
The Thunderbirds suffered their equal largest losing margin of the season with a 16-point defeat to the Firebirds last round, so they will be looking to bounce back in quick fashion. However, they will need to turnaround the Fever’s current ascendancy over them, as the Firebirds have lost six of their nine Super Netball matchups since the inaugural season.
Netball fans will be hoping we get a repeat of recent results, as three of the past five encounters between the two teams have been decided by just 1-point (two of them to the Thunderbirds). So history shows that the Thunderbirds will either win by the narrowest of margins, or be blown away by the Fever.
The Fever are a tricky team to defend. They have the most dominant shooter in the league in Jhaniele Fowler who is 8-goals away from 500 on the season (96% accuracy). There should be no surprise that Fowler prefers the traditional goal over the Super Shot, with only six of her 507 shot attempts being from Super Shot territory.
To go along with Fowler’s dominance close to the baseline, the Fever have the highest Super Shot accuracy of the season (60.7%). Sasha Glasgow is the primary contributor to the Fever’s shooting accuracy, scoring 22 Super Shots from only 30 attempts (73%). This is a handy weapon to have in your arsenal, as Glasgow’s sharp shooting during the Power 5 period provides the Fever with the ability to either extend leads or to reduce margins in a rapid manner.
Despite leading total Gains across the competition, the Thunderbirds are surprisingly last in Gain to Goal Rate. The main contributor to this is that the Thunderbirds have the highest total of Possession Changes this season with 30 per game. In comparison, the Fever average only 19. So, the Thunderbirds need to start making the most of their defensive efforts by converting their gains into scoreboard pressure or they will find it difficult to win many more games.
Courtney Bruce will make scoring difficult, considering she had 10-deflections and nine-gains in their round 4 encounter, so the Thunderbirds will need to find a way to limit her impact. Bruce has had an unbelievable season, however the Lightning showcased how to take Bruce out of the game in their win against the Fever in round 10.
Steph Wood and Cara Koenen were deliberately inconsistent in the way they lead up to the ball, changing leading patterns throughout the game. This didn’t allow Bruce to settle in defence and prevented her from cutting off the predictable feed into the circle. The Thunderbirds will no doubt follow this tactic in an attempt to curtail one of the best defenders in the world.
The Fever have only lost one second half for the entire season and that was against the Lightning last weekend. If the Thunderbirds are any chance to win this game they will need to produce a solid second half to counter the Fever’s typical dominance in closing out matches.
Queensland Firebirds vs Sunshine Coast Lightning - Monday, 7pm AEST, Nissan Arena, Brisbane
The final game of an unusual Round 11 schedule will see the Firebirds host the Lightning at Nissan Arena on Monday evening.
The Lightning will have the advantage of seeing how the previous three games are played out and can use that as a motive for their performance against the Firebirds. What I mean by this is that the Lightning have the opportunity to jump into top spot if the GIANTS can defeat the Swifts. The Lightning are tied with the ladder leaders in points, however they are currently seven behind in percentage. If the GIANTS knock off the Swifts, the Lightning will be primed to pinch that top spot.
In Round 6, the Firebirds upset the Lightning to the tune of 9-points. Kim Ravaillion was best on in their win, and will certainly be on the Lightnings’ radar leading into this rematch. The star Centre is having an excellent season and is currently third in total Nissan NetPoints (667), first in Goal Assists (185), and first in Feeds into Circle (337).
A key focus to this game will be if the Firebirds can limit their penalties inside their defensive goal circle. Tara Hinchliffe and Kim Jenner are third and fourth in total obstruction penalties this season, the only two teammates to feature in the top 10 together. This could prove to be a big factor in this game, as the Lightning have the highest goals scored from penalty shots (171).
Back in their round 6 victory, the Firebirds had a Gain to Goal Rate of 92 (compared to the Lightning’s 56). Hinchliffe is currently eighth in total gains (35), so the Firebirds will be looking to their GK to pick off the Lightning’s attacking approaches.
Steph Wood and Cara Koenen were as dominant as an attacking duo that we have seen all season in their big win over the Fever last week. The pair combined for 65-points on 90% shooting accuracy and were simply too much to handle for the Fever defence. The Firebirds have conceded the second most points against in 2021, so Wood and Koenen might be in for a big return.
This round could just about cement the top four teams leading into the final rounds of the season, so make sure you tune in to some big games of Netball on Saturday and Monday evening.
